346 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



WILLIAM I. LONG, THE CLERGYMAN AND THE SCHOLAR. 



as if wending" his way through a forest 

 of broken trunks, quantities of leaves, 

 and crumbling debris of all sorts. To 

 make more realistic the impression 

 that one is in the path of a tornado is 

 the rumble of trolley cars, the toots of 

 automobiles, the clatter of horseshoes 

 and iron tires on the pavement, and 

 the calls of drivers and peddlers. 



I began to express sympathy for his 

 having to work under such adverse 

 conditions ; but my sympathy was lost. 

 He even apologized because the litter- 

 ed room was too formal for a work- 

 shop. Said he : " When at work I 

 like the sounds of the street, the noise 

 and confusion of busy life. It brings 

 me closer to humanity, to the men 

 and women who daily bear the bur- 

 dens of the world. Far from disturb- 



ing me, the sound of their coming and 

 going is a stimulus to good, honest 

 work. As a workshop this room is 

 fine, but a bit too civilized, too lux- 

 urious. The den I tried to get was on 

 top of a primitive kind of shack, in an 

 alley as busy as a beehive, with a kite- 

 maker next door, a printing press 

 under me, and a blacksmith over the 

 way. The blacksmith was the chief 

 attraction. For a good, wholesome, 

 inspiring sound, suggesting at once 

 toil and cheerfulness, give me the 

 "cling clang" of an anvil. I'll have that 

 room yet, just on account of the black- 

 smith." 



I accepted the apology and with- 

 drew abruptly from the sympathetic 

 frame of mind. 



P>ut here in this study is the chaotic 



